Man looks to bring alcohol sales to Boiling Springs

Sunday

Jun 18, 2017 at 1:35 PMJun 19, 2017 at 8:59 AM

Casey White CWhite_Star

A Boiling Springs resident wants to let voters decide whether alcohol can be sold inside town limits.

Robert Pitchford started a petition with the Cleveland County Board of Elections for a referendum on the sale of mixed liquor beverages, beer and wine in Boiling Springs. The petition also calls to permit the operation of ABC stores in Boiling Springs.

Pitchford said he believes it is past time for Boiling Springs to permit alcohol sales.

“This is the 2017 era,” he said. “It would be a big plus for the town.”

Cleveland County is a dry county, in which alcohol can be sold only in city or town limits.

Shelby and Kings Mountain allow the sale of beer, wine and spirits at a licensed establishment. Other towns that allow the sale of beer and wine are Fallston, Grover, Polkville and Patterson Springs.

Petitions for referendums go through the Cleveland County Board of Elections rather than through the municipality.

“A petition starts when someone comes in to request that one be started,” Dayna Causby, director of elections at the Cleveland County Board of Elections, said. “A form is filled out, we look and see how many signatures are needed and the petitioners have 90 days to submit the signatures.”

Petitions for alcohol sales must receive signatures from 35 percent of registered voters in the town to go on the ballot. The Boiling Springs petition requires 938 signatures.

Pitchford estimates he has secured around 300 signatures since filing the petition. He and others in the community have petition forms so they can collect signatures at various times and locations.

The signatures are collected on a specific form and all signatures will be checked by the Cleveland County Board of Elections office for voter registration, residence verification and signature validation.

If 938 valid signatures are secured by the Sept. 5 deadline, the referendum will be placed on the November ballot. It would then be up to Boiling Springs voters to decide whether the sale of mixed liquor, beer and wine will be permitted at restaurants and stores.

Aside from the convenience of not leaving town to buy alcohol, Pitchford said allowing the sale of alcohol and ABC stores would have other benefits. At least five percent of the revenue for ABC stores go to local law enforcement.

“It’s here whether we buy it there or not,” Pitchford said. “Why don’t we sell it and get the incentives off of it?”

Boiling Springs residents interested in signing the petition can contact Pitchford at 704-472-0632.